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He bobbed his head and then stood; the sound of sirens penetrated the moment as the sheriff came running in not a minute later. When he saw me and the tears in my eyes, he sighed.
“You just don’t have any luck, do you?”
I let out a watery laugh and said. “Not really.”
Offering a sympathetic smile, he nodded to the door. “Come on then, let’s get your witness account taken down. Now that we know he’s in town and heading for you, we can plan accordingly.”
I stood on shaking legs, nearly stumbling before Oliver’s arm wound around my waist, offering the support I needed right now.
Looking up at him, I caught the steadfast determination behind his eyes.
“You can lean on me.” He said and, after a beat of thought, I did.
Things were far from alright, but at least with him here they were manageable. After we settled everything with the sheriff, we’d talk about us. I wasn’t sure where all that conversation would go, but a fragile hope flickered to life in my chest that it would end well.
I’d see for myself soon enough…
Chapter 10
It took hours to get everything straightened away, and by the time Oliver drove me back home I was ready to pass out and call it a day. But when the door closed behind us, the conversation we still had to have came roaring back.
Any sparks of tiredness I’d felt before evaporated, nerves taking their place as I faced Oliver. He’d stayed by my side throughout the entire process, and now he watched me with a quiet understanding.
“If you need to rest before we tackle this, I won’t hold it against you.” He said, and while the offer sent my heart through a series of spins, I shook my head.
“No, I want to talk about this now. I’ve wanted to talk about this almost since I met you, but I needed to have Harvey out of the way. I didn’t want anything between us to be a rebound.”
His eyes softened, and he nodded. “Neither do I. If you’re sure you want to do this now, then lead on.” He offered one of his hands and I took it, tugging him toward the living room again. Just like earlier, we sat on the couch, only this time there was no time crunch.
I had a few minutes to figure out what to say, which was good since words were the bane of my existence.
After a minute with no luck on that front, I blurted the first thing that came to mind. “Just to clarify, I’ve seen you looking at me every now and then with…more than friendly intentions. Before I embarrass myself by assuming something, I have to know if I am right. Would you be interested in something more with me?” I asked, and only after the words were spoken did I realize how much was riding on them.
My stomach knotted, rolling with unease as he looked down at me. Thankfully he didn’t make me wait long.
He nodded. “I do, though I didn’t actually think it would go anywhere. When you said you were getting over your past relationship I figured we’d only be friends. Then this.”
Yeah, then this.
Running a hand through my hair, I continued. “I’m glad to hear you’re interested, because I’ve been since the day I walked into the shop. To be honest, I’m still a bit worried that this is some weird kind of rebound. I was with Harvey for a long time, and yet I was able to feel something for you that quickly?”
I grimaced, looking away. “It feels weird, and I’m scared I’m going to hurt you if we start something, and then it really was just a rebound. That was why I wanted to talk to you today, to tell you about Harvey and ask your opinion on things.”
If he thought we should wait longer to be sure these feelings would stay, then I would. I was following his lead on this.
Oliver stared down at me, careful consideration clear in his eyes, before finally he shook his head. “I appreciate how much you care about my wellbeing, but I don’t think this is a rebound. If we’d started something when you first moved here, maybe it would have been. Then you were hurting and confused, betrayed by someone you cared for. If we’d done anything, it might have been you looking for any comfort you could find, but now?”
He shrugged, “I don’t think so. You’ve also been holding back because you worried I’d be hurt in the middle. That doesn’t sound like a rebound to me.”
A knot loosened in my chest and I relaxed, soaking in the easy comfort that radiated off him in waves. The silence stretched, and then he spoke again, head tilting down to face me better.
“What do you want from this, Jen? I need to know what you’re looking for and the boundaries.”
I swallowed hard, not sure what to say. “To be honest, I don’t know. I want…” I trailed off, trying to think about what I actually wanted out of this.
Obviously, I wanted to date him, but past that?
I would want to be exclusive, which I didn’t see him having a problem with. I’d want to go on dates, spend time with him with just us being in the equation.
